Draft connection for car couplings



June 2,

R. E. L'. JANNEY "DRAFT CONNECTION FOR CAR COUPLINGS 7 Filed Fe 19 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. EQL. JAN NEY DR AFT -CONNECTION FOR CAR COUPLINGS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1921 Patented June 2, 1925 1.539.845 UNITED "STATESTATENT p -Pics;

ROBERT F. L. JANNEY, or CHICAGO, rLnmors; GARDNER/L. BOOTHE, nxncu'roa or sun ROBERT E. n 'JANNEY, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO NANNIE HAMILTON JAN- NEY, or ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.

DRAFT CONNECTION FOR CAB COUPLHIGBQ Application filed Iebruary 19, 1921;. Serial No. 446384.

To all whom. it may concern.

Be it known that I,' R0BERT E. L. J ANNEY, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State 8 of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Draft Connections for Car Couplings, of which the following is a speci fication.

This invention relates to draft rigging of 10 the type employing a gear casing for containing the shock absorbing means. and has for its object to provide a new and improved connection between the gear casing and. the coupler shank such as will meet all standard 1 requirements and at the same time avoid the disadvantages of the connections heretofore used and proposed.

My new construction involves the use of draft or pulling arms projecting forwardly from the top and bottom of the gear cas.

ing, thereby permitting the use of a vertical draft key with all of the attendant advantages thereof 'as fully set forth in my prior patents numbered 1,365,497 and 1,365,498.

In accordance with my invention, the draft or pulling arms may have the maximum width, and therefore the maximum strength,

' governed only by the width of the space between the front cheek plates, which latter do not have to be slotted or notched, and

thereby weakened, to accommodate my arrangement of pulling arms as is necessary in some prior proposed constructions where pulling arms have been provided on the upright sides of the gear casing. In this connection it will be explained that present standards require a gear casing of such a cross section that to extend draft or pulling 40 arms forwardly from the upright sides of the, gear casing it would be necessary to slot or notch the standard f ont cheek plates to permit the pulling arms to pass the cheek plates and extend into proper overlapping relation with the coupler shank. Slotting or notching and consequent weakening of the cheek plates would not be permitted under present standards.

My present invention enables the produc} tion of the gear casing and the pulling or draft arms as a single casting, and the rear follower may be' formed as an integral enlargement of the rear .end of the body of the casing.

In the drawings: Flgure 1 is a plan viewo'f a draft rigging,

including a car coupler" shank, embodying the features ofthe resent invention.

Figure 2 is a si e elevation of Figure 1 with the near draft sill removed. Figure; 3 is a front view of. Figure 2, the coupler shank and front cheek plates. being removed. v

Figure 4' is a fragmentary side elevation showing another form of front follower.

Figure, 5 is a front view of Figure 1, the coupler shank and front cheek plates removed. I 1

Referring at first more particularly to Figures 1,2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the usual draft sills are designated 1, while the coupler shank is designated 2 and is disposed centrally between the draft sills in the usual manner. The draftsills are provided with the front and rear cheek plates 3 and 4. which may be of the usual or any standard form; Disposed as usual between the front and rear cheek plates is the gear casing or container 5 which contains any desired form of shock absorbing means such as springs. friction devices, or a combination thereof as may be desired. The rear end-of the casing is enlarged by means of the integral wings or flanges 6 projecting laterally from the upright sides of the casing and constituting a rear follower normally engaging the front sides of the rear cheek plates 4. Extending forwardly from. the top and bottom sides of the casing are the top and bottom pulling arms 7 and 8 formed as integral extensions of the casing and'spaced to receive the butt end of the coupler shank, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Each pulling arm is provided with a keyway or slot, one such keyway or slot being shown at 9. in Figure 1 of the drawings. The connection between the coupler shank and the pulling arms is a vertical draft key 10which extends through a suitable keyway .in the coupler shank and through the keyways in the top and bottompulling arms 7 and '8. The

draft key is preferably of standard construction and, as best shown in Figure 1 .of the drawings, it will be seen that the keyway in the upper pulling arm 7 is longer than the major diameter of the key, and it will be explained that the -.keyway in the key support made up of a pin or bolt 11 underlying and separate from the bottom of the key and extending through a pair of mity with the draft sills 1 and across the perforate ears 12 integral with and depending from the bottom pulling arm 8 at op site sides of the keyway therein. Preferably this pin is provided at one end with a head 13 and at its opposite end with a nut 14, which latter is suitably looked, as for instance by means of a cotter 15. The bottom of th draft key is enlarged in the direction of its ma or diameter to form a head 16 which not only limits the upward insertion of the key but afi'ords shoulders which may be engaged by-a suitable implement for convenience in prying the pin downwardly out ofthe coupler shank and pulling arms should the pin become rusted or otherwise stuck in the vkeyways.

, Between the front end of the gear casing 5 and the front cheek plates 3 is a front follower 17, the central web or body portion of which lies between thetop and bottom pulling'arms 7 and 8 and extends beyond the uprightedges of said arms into close proxirear sides of the front cheek plates. The end portions of the front follower are provided with top and bottom wings or extensions 18 and19 which in effect produce upright cross-heads at the ends of the follower so as to obtain the maximum bearing area in contact with the front cheek plates. This front follower is normally held against the cheek plates by the plunger 20 which projects throughthe open front of the draft ar casing 5 and is associated with the i s ock' absorbing means contained within the casing. It will here be explained that the front follower is assembled with the pulling arms before the gear case is placed between the draft sills. and is assembled merely by pushing the follower rearwardly through the space between the pulling arms.

- If desired. fillets or flanges 21 may be provided on the top and bottom of the gear casing and bridging the integral connection between the pulling arms and the body of the casing thereby to strengthen the point of connection between the pulling arms and the casing.

The coupler shank is supported at its for- .ward end upon the usual or any preferred form of carry iron 22. and the forward travel of the gear case is slightly less than the space betweenthe front end of the lower pulling arm 8 and the carry iron so as to I prevent contact of the pulling arm with the carry iron.

Each of the keyways in the pulling arms is of a length to prevent the rear upright side of the draft key from contacting with the rear walls of the keyways in the pullin arms when the front follower 17 has reache its rearward limit.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present improved gear casing includes an integral rear follower at itsrear end and inte ral pulling arms at its front end, said pul lng arms being at the top and bottom of the casing. By this arrangement .of integral pulling arms, the usual yoke embracing the casing longitudinally, either across the top and bottom or acrossthe opposite upright sides of the casing is dlspensed with, whereby a material amount of weight and expense are eliminated. present construction also eliminates the use of separate links serving as a connection between the cou ler shank and the upright;

side walls of t e gear casing such as have heretofore been proposed. Where a yoke or separate links have been employed to con nect the gear case to the coupler shank, it has hitherto been necessary to flatten exterior portions of a cylindrical gear case or to make the exterior dimensions of the-case such that the links or the arms of the yoke may lie between the gear casing and the draft sills. Nothing of this sort is necessary in applicants invention, and therefore applicant is enabled to make the exterior transverse dimensions of the gear case as large and strong as it is desired, limited only by the width ofthe space between the draft sills. This is a very important feature of the present invention, because actual practice shows that gear casings have become broken in many instances, along the portions of the gear casing which have been flattened or which have not had sufficient strength due to the presence of separate yoke arms or connectin links.

Furthermore, w ere connecting links are employed at the upright sides of the gear casing, it is necessary to form openings through the front cheek plates so as to'accommodate the links, and therefore the front cheek plates have been materially reduced in strength due to the presence of the openings therethrough. Applicant locates the pulling arms 7 and 8 at the top and bottom of the gear casingso as to avoid the formation of openings through the front cheek plates and also to with the rearward travel of the front folslots intersects one of the upright edges of the follower so as to permit of the follower being assembled with the pulling arms of the gear case transversely thereof. The top and bottom slots in the follower produce top and bottom arms, the top arm lying acrossthe top of the upper pulling arm and the lower follower arm lying across the bottom of the lower pulling arm whereby the follower serves as a tie for tying together the-pulling arms against any tendency of the pulling arms to separate under pulling stresses. An upright bolt 26 extends through the follower from top to bottom thereof at the side of the follower intersected by the slots, whereby the top and bottom arms of the follower are braced and tied to the body of the follower. Suitable fillers or washers v27 are provided upon the bolt and in the as to avoid a projection above the top of the l gling of the shank independently of the follower, as there is no room between the top of the follower and the bottomof a car, constructed in accordance with the Ameri can Railroad Association'standards, to accommodate a projection above the top of the follower. When usirg a follower constructed as shown in Figure 5, the strengthening fillets 21 of Figures 1 and 2 are omitted because they would interfere with the rearward travel of the top and bottom follower arms. These fillets do not interfere lower 17, because the body portion thereof lies between the pulling arms while the wings 18 and 19 are entirely outside of said fillets.

It will be understood that vertical angear casing may be accomplished in the manner shown and described in my prior patents, hereinbefore referred to, by the provision of bosses 29 and 30 on the top and bottom of the coupler shank and around the keyway therethrough. These bosses will have the inclined portions 29 and 30 so as to permit of the coupler end of the shank rising under bufiing stresses, while the draft key 10 will be permittedto tilt vertically in the keyways in the pulling arms, whereby over horizontal angling of the coupler shank no leverage stresses will be applied to the pulling arms when the coupler end of the shank rises under bufiing stresses. Moreis permitted, in the manner shown and descrlbed in my prior patents, by having the keyways in thedraft or pulling arms wider than the draft key, as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the key of course fitting the keyway in the shank snugly, whereby, when the shank angles horizontally, the key will turn with the shank and in the keyways in the pulling arms, thus permitting horizontal angling of the shank without transmitting stresses to the pulling arms. The

shank can also twist or turn 'upcn its longi-' tudinal axis without imparting; strains of the pulling arms because the draft key can of the head of the bolt engages so as to pre-" vent rotation of the bolt, and a suitable nut locking washer 32 is provided upon the bolt 11 between thenut 14 and the adjacent ear 12, said nut locking washer being preferably of the well known split washer type having its opposite ends beveled and deflected in opposite directions so as to bite or impinge against the nut and the ear respectively.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a gear case having top and bottom pulling arms extending for wardly therefrom, a coupler shank between the pulling arms, and a vertical draft key of the M. G. B. type extending through the pulling arms and the shank, the topofthe shank bearing against the upper pulling arm, and the bottom of the shank being spaced above the lower pulling arm, there beinga space between the draft key and one of the other elements of the connection to permit vertical angling of the shank.

2. The combination of a gear case having top and bottom pulling arm extending forbetween the draft key and one of the other I elements of the connection to permit vertical angling of the shank.

3. The combination of a gear case having top and bottom pulling arms extending forwardly therefrom, a coupler shank between the pulling arms, a vertical draft key of the M. C. B. type, the pulling arms and the shank having aligned vertical keyways receiving the key which is insertable from below, the side walls of the keyways in the pulling arms being spaced from the side walls of the key to permit horizontal angling of the shank. and means underlying and independent of the draft key to prevent downward displacement of said key.

4. The combination of a coupler shank, a gear case, and a vertical draft key, the gear case having top and bottom pulling coupler shank and the arms having keyways receiving the draft key, the keyways and the draft key and the coupler butt and the inner faces of the arms being spaced with respect to one another to permit vertical angling or tilting of the shank 'within and independent of the gear case to impart flexibility to the connection between the coupler shank and the gear case.

5. The combination of a coupler shank, a gear case, and a vertical draft key, the gear case having top and bottom pulling arms extending forwardly from the gear case, the pulling arms andthe coupler shank having keyways receiving the verticaldraft key,-

the keyways and the draft key and the cou pler butt and the inner faces of the pullmg arms being spaced with respect to one another to rmit horizontal anglin of the shank within and independent of t e pulling arms .to impart flexibility to the connection between the shank and the gear case. 6. The combination of a coupler shank, a gear case, and a vertical draft key, the gear case being provided with top and bottom pulling arms extending forwardly therefrom, the pulling arms and the coupler shank having keyways receiving the key, the coupler butt and the inner faces of the pull-' ing arms and the keyways being spaced with respect to one another to permit torsional movement of the shank on its longitudinal axis independently of the gear case to impart flexibility to the connection between the shank and the gear case.

ROBERT E. L. JANNEY. v 

